Hope of Heaven

The world lost two mighty warriors in the last few days. Roosevelt Savanah and Melissa Cahill. Both fought strong and hard battles against cancer until the end. Both never wavered in their faith or in their conviction that God is good. Their absence is already felt by those who knew and loved them. They will be missed.

I have been reading through the books of Thessalonians in the last few days. As I read these words the other day they made me think of my friends, Roosevelt and Melissa:

"Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you're in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions. 

You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.

Do you know that all over... believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master's Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don't even have to say anything anymore—you're the message!" (vs. 2-8) 

May we all become "the message," just as these two, through our faithful work, our loving deeds, and the enduring hope we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.


Thank you to all of you who have prayed for Roosevelt and Melissa. Please pray now for the Savanah and Cahill families as they grieve the loss of their loved ones.